Whoever You Are, Honey

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A stylish and seductive tale of obsession from the US poet sensation Olivia Gatwood. 'Built on simmering tensions at the precipice of boiling over . . . vivid storytelling' VOGUE 'An intimate, pitch-perfect fable of the time' YRSA DALEY-WARD 'Sensual, detail-rich, utterly immersive . . . So propulsive and atmospheric' JENNY MUSTARD *** BEHIND THIS GLASS, EVERYTHING IS MORE BEAUTIFUL On the Santa Cruz waterfront, every house is as perfect as the people inside. Not so for Mitty and Bethel, the oddball pair in the dilapidated bungalow - they are the last vestiges of a town now housing the tech elite. But Mitty is about to cross the threshold. Someone has arrived next door who finally wants to know this forgotten girl. Lena is different and she knows it. Reliant on her entrepreneur boyfriend Sebastian, her life is oddly limited for someone bathed in wealth. But when she sees Mitty, Lena begins to recognize a part of herself she has yet to face, something anxious, something broken - something real. And in this salt-blasted town, friendship will bleed into obsession, minds and bodies will betray, and the past will come back with a howl and a bite. Thrilling, seductive and prescient, WHOEVER YOU ARE HONEY is a blazing debut that dissects perfection, examines how women are made and explores the intersection of passion, technology, and power.

Reviews

Set against the backdrop of an AI pioneers murder, Whoever You Are, Honey is built on simmering tensions at the precipice of boiling over, marked by a distinct strain of techno-pessimism endemic to someone who grew up during the rise of Silicon Valley. The twin themes of womens loneliness and desire are the timeless beating hearts of Olivia Gatwoods debut novel, propped up by of-the-moment ruminations on queerness and artificial intelligence . . . vivid storytelling * Vogue *
Sharp, captivating, and apt - an intimate, pitch-perfect fable of the time, I immediately went back to the start. -- Yrsa Daley-Ward, author of The Terrible
A sensual, detail-rich, utterly immersive novel. So propulsive and atmospheric (and at times creepy), I never wanted to put it down and longed for its company when not turning the pages. A gorgeous reading experience -- Jenny Mustard
As lush and hypnotic as a dreampop album, this is an intoxicating debut about two women, each carrying a dark secret, who desire more than they've been allowed to want. -- Leigh Stein, author of Self Care
A gorgeous, haunting, tender story of women finding different kinds of love and solace in each other, Whoever You Are, Honey looks directly into the deep, dark depths of what makes us alive - and what sustains that life. I loved every minute of it. -- Gabrielle Korn, author of Yours for the Taking
Whoever You Are, Honey is a gripping, heartfelt novel, a moving exploration of unconventional friendships and the desire to be accepted and loved not in spite of, but because of, our flaws. Every page sparkles with insight about human intimacy, the stories we project onto one another, and the courage to push past first impressions to a deeper, more complicated understanding. -- Kate Folk, author of Out There
Lush with desire, pleasure, and the deep longing for connection that underlies everything we do, Whoever You Are, Honey makes the familiar new; the everyday is made sensuous, rich, and jewel-bright. -- Claudia Cravens, author of Lucky Red
A tender and searching exploration of what it means to inhabit a female body. The characters wounded, wounding, and longing for a better world will catch you up and carry you along with them. -- Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love
Heres a novel about the vastness of feeling and friendship - their unruliness a brilliant counterpoint to the glazed screens and aspirations of the modern world. -- Anna Metcalfe, author of Chrysalis
Gatwoods writing is lyrical, eerily propulsive and addictive. This is the type of novel Im always hoping to findI couldnt put it down. -- Amy Taylor, author of Search History

Author Bio

Olivia Gatwood is the author of two poetry collections, New American Best Friend and Life of the Party. Her debut novel, Whoever You Are, Honey, was released in 2024, which she will also adapt for the screen. She has received international recognition for her poetry, writing workshops, and work as a Title IX Compliant educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery. Her performances have been featured on HBO, HuffPost, MTV, VH1, and the BBC, and more. Her poems have appeared in The Poetry Foundation, Sundance Film Festival, Lambda Literary, and The Missouri Review. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she lives in California.